It’s the weekend of April 1st, 3and2 Baseball has its Season Opener Tournament which means both Jake and Drew are playing in it (minimum of 3 games each), Jake has a buckle fracture in his right wrist which limits him to only some pitching & bunting, Morgan is playing in a soccer tournament in Lawrence (min of 3 games) and turkey hunting, Drew also has a league soccer game that we are praying doesn’t conflict with a baseball game, Reece has a soccer game and a birthday party to attend, and Brian bought tickets for us to go to the Royals Home Opener Sunday night.  SHOOT…how is this all going to work out!?  At this point, I’m not rattled very much with scheduling because it’s a daily battle in this household, but I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous on this one!  Here’s why…Baseball season is always more complicated.  Bottom line.  Brian is the coach of Jake’s baseball team which means he gets Jake and I get the other 3.  This also means I miss a lot of Jake’s stuff and Brian misses a lot of MD&R’s stuff sometimes, boo!)  And baseball is time consuming and hard to plan around (ie if you win you keep playing on Sunday).  All I have to say is thank goodness for family and friends that are willing to help out!  THANK YOU!

Brian LOVES baseball so for him to be able to coach this team is a blessing.  It is also a blessing for Jake who loves the competitive nature of the sport.  Because he also plays competitive soccer, it is difficult for him to find a team that will take him and his crazy schedule on!  Coaches don’t typically want to deal with a kiddo that has to sometimes choose between attending a soccer game and a baseball game.  They want kids that are 100% committed to that sport during that time frame.  Let me present to you…Bulldogs Baseball!  This is a group of 4th grade boys who love the game of baseball but also love other sports!  These boys are very dear to our hearts because Brian has put a lot of time into coaching and developing them.  He treats all of them like they are part of our family.  The team has lost and gained some players over the years but the commitment and Bulldogs spirit has remained the same.  These boys are awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

By Sunday night, the Bulldogs had fought their way into the championship game against the Steelers (which happens to be coached by Brian’s childhood friend).  These boys were tired–we had endured hail, super cold weather, mega windy conditions, etc. but no one gave up.  They rallied through a tense last few innings and won the championship!  The look on these kids’ faces I will never forget.  Jake has won baseball championship games in the past but it has been awhile and not with Brian being the head coach.  So with Royals home opener tickets going unused in Brian’s pocket and hundreds of dollars spent, every morsel of packed food eaten, dust in every crevice of our bodies, we brought home a championship trophy and I couldn’t be more happy about it.  Wouldn’t change a thing. Congratulations Brian, Jake, our Bulldogs, and their families.  What a great way to kick off the baseball season!

Side note…I’ve never seen Jake more excited about a trophy.  I mean it is quite huge, so I guess that mere fact makes it pretty awesome.  He got out his stool, removed all of his trophies and trinkets from his dresser and put them all back up in a certain special order.  Doing this takes quite a bit of time!  The care and attention he put into this little project makes me smile, maybe even more than the athleticism displayed this weekend.  It’s a life lesson to take pride in yourself and others.  Jakers, I am so happy that you are proud!  GO BULLDOGS!